Proceedings at the Madlanga commission of inquiry were postponed on Friday after a lawyer representing a new witness argued that his client had not been given sufficient time to prepare for their testimony.
The unnamed witness was scheduled to begin testifying following the conclusion of evidence from KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head, Major General Lesetja Senona, whose testimony wrapped up on Thursday.
Need time to review 4k-page documents
However, Hartley Ngoato of Ngoato Attorneys, appearing on behalf of the witness, told the commission that his client had received more than 4,000 documents from the commission and had not had adequate time to review them.
Ngoato further informed the commission that the defence team would not be ready by Monday. He cited his own medical unavailability over the weekend.
Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga questioned Ngoato’s position. And he emphasised the national importance of the inquiry.
“Mr Ngoato, you’re a practitioner and I’m sitting with practitioners. Are you telling me that, as you are sitting here, you cannot make time to attend to this matter of national importance?” Madlanga asked.
In response, Ngoato said he recognised the urgency of the matter. But he maintained that his situation was unavoidable.
“I fully understand that in urgency there is no convenience, but it is a medical issue. I warned them, the evidence leader,” he said.
Commission agreed to a shorter period
The commission adjourned briefly to deliberate before announcing its decision to grant a postponement. Albeit shorter than what the defence had requested.
“After careful consideration, we have taken a decision to postpone. But it will not be for as long as Advocate Ngoato had asked for,” Madlanga said.
He added that the commission acknowledged the need for adequate preparation time and would not be overly rigid.
“In fairness, we should not be nitpicking. We grant the order and we will resume on Tuesday, February 3, 2026,” Madlanga said.
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